


When I Saw Your Face (Lost Became Found)

by captainjaybird



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Project Cadmus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-11-21 06:07:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11351439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainjaybird/pseuds/captainjaybird
Summary: Something new is beginning between Kara and Lena. But Cadmus lurks, waiting in the shadows. When they finally strike, will everything Kara and Lena have built crumble in the aftermath?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first supercorp fic! Hope you enjoy!

Kara had a problem. Well, has a problem. She thinks she likes Lena—as friends of course—but also _more_. And Kara… is not great at “more.”

Kara’s dated before; of course she’s dated, she’s 25 years old. A couple boys, a girl, and one person who was neither, in college. It’s just that, if she’s honest with herself, none of those went particularly well. The boys… one was nice but boring, and the less said about the other, the better. Kara had gone all-in too fast with the girl, excited about something new—a problem she’s scared she’ll have with Lena, who’s smart and beautiful and nice and, and—

And Kara should get back to thinking about the problem at hand. The “maybe nursing a crush on her best friend” problem. It was Alex who made her realize it, although her sister didn’t know it.

 _Kara sat with Alex during Sister Night, happily munching on popcorn. Orphan Black was finally orphan back (Alex had winced a little at that pun) and nothing could tear Kara’s attention away_ — _until her phone dinged with the special “she blinded me with science” ringtone that she’d set for Lena._

_Checking her phone, Kara saw the text: “Had a great time at lunch today. Maybe next time I can take you to the new organic pizza parlor. My treat.”_

_Even as she wrinkled her nose at the word “organic”, Kara could feel the grin spreading across her face. Alex, who had glanced over at her when the text tone went off, saw it._

_“Who are you texting? I haven’t seen you grin like that since James_ — _I still don’t get why that didn’t work out, by the way.”_

 _“I_ — _I don’t know.” Kara shrugged. “And it’s nothing. Just a nice text, that’s all.”_

_Alex’s eyebrows raised. “From who? Seriously Kara, spill.”_

_“It’s not like that. I, I don’t like anybody. My_ **_friend_** _,” Kara emphasized the word, “just wants to get pizza.”_

 _“Mhmm,” Alex hummed, unconvinced. “And your 'friend' gets a special ringtone and distracts you from Orphan Black. Which incidentally_ **_I’ve_ ** _never gotten you to stop watching.”_

 _Kara could feel herself blushing, which really wasn’t helping her case. She couldn’t believe this. It was crazy that she would like Lena. Sure, she was attractive, yes, being around her was often the highlight of Kara’s day, okay, sometimes she got butterflies and stumbled over her words_ —

 _“Oh my god,” Kara whispered. She_ **_did_ ** _like Lena._

_Alex looked at her knowingly, and Kara redirected her attention to the screen._

_“Wow, look at that! The Hendrixes are sure doing crazy stuff, huh?”_

_Alex didn’t look convinced, but let it it go. Kara let out a breath in relief._

So Kara likes Lena. Okay, sure. The real question was: what is she going to do about it?

\---------------

Lena rearranges the papers on her desk, sighing. It has been a long, long day. Stockholder’s meeting, a teleconference with the China office, and an unexpected visit to R&D when a prototype malfunctioned—and took half the wall with it. Fortunately, no one had been hurt.

To be honest, all of Lena’s days have been long since her mother had escaped from custody. The threat of Cadmus hangs over the city, and Lena doesn’t believe the calm before the storm will last long. And when her mother pops up, it won’t be long before Lena gets sucked into it.

The one good thing she has going for her right now is Kara. They’re friends now—real friends. Lena had that confirmed not a week ago when Kara had come by her office.

_“Hey, Lena,” she said. “I just wanted to let you know I can’t interview you anymore.”_

_“What?” Lena asked, heart sinking. Of course she didn’t want to associate with her anymore. She’d finally wised up to the fact that Lena’s last name was Luthor._

_“It’s just that, well, we’re friends. You know, close friends. And it just wouldn’t be ethical for me to write about you. I’m supposed to have journalistic objectivity, and I’m not good at being objective about the people I care about. At all.” She laughed nervously._

_“Oh,” Lena said, stunned. “Oh, of course.” Recovering, she put on her best coy smile. “But how will I ever find a reporter as good as you?”_

_Kara blushed._

_She’d been doing that a lot more often, Lena noticed. It was foolish to have hope but… Lena wondered if it could mean what she wanted it to._

_“I should probably get going,” Kara said, rubbing her neck. “I actually have another story I’m chasing down. But maybe we could get lunch soon?”_

_“I’d love to,” Lena agreed, the smile lingering on her face even after Kara left._

So yes, friends—but Lena would be lying to herself if she said she didn’t want things to go further than that.

However, Kara is either very oblivious or very straight. Lena had once filled her entire office with flowers, after all. Yes, she’d disguised it as a thank you, but Lena thinks surely it must have tipped her hand a little.

Then again, if there’s anyone who would take a gesture of friendship at face value, it’s Kara. Lena taps her fingers on her desk, thinking through a simple cost-benefit analysis. She doesn’t know if that works as well for life as for business, but it’s worth a try.

Pros: if successful, dating Kara. She’s sweet, earnest, and absolutely stunning. Kara is the first person in a long time Lena has even considered opening herself up to. There’s been no one since Jack (and what she was forced to do to him with the nanobots still haunts her darkest dreams). The biggest pro, Lena supposes, is Kara herself.

Of course, the biggest con is the possibility of _losing_ Kara. What if she’s repulsed by Lena’s feelings? What if she says no and things get awkward? Kara is the best thing in Lena’s life right now, can she risk losing her?

 _Proceed with caution_ , Lena decides. Turn up the flirting a little bit. If it backfires, there’s always plausible deniability. And if it succeeds, well…

Lena smiles. If it succeeds, something will have finally gone right.

\-----------------

_One_

Kara’s made up her mind. She is going to ask Lena out. It’s not a big deal, she can do this. It certainly doesn’t make her palms sweat and her heart race. She’s calm, cool, and collected. She’s C-cubed. She’s, she’s…

She’s a mess. Kara runs a hand over her face, looking up at the great big glass building of L-Corp. It shouldn’t even be _possible_ for her to sweat. Was she exposed to Kryptonite recently? No, no, she would know that. It’s just… nerves.

 _Did Kal feel like this when he asked Lois out?_ Kara wonders. Maybe she is just sick? There’s only one way to find out.

Clark picks up on the third ring. “Hey, cuz. What’s up? Everything okay in National City?”

“Yeeeeees,” Kara draws out the word, not sure how to ask her next question. “Um, I was just wondering how you felt when you asked Lois out? Were you, uh, sweaty?”

Clark laughs, but it’s not mean, just amused. “Well, I was nervous. How couldn’t I be? She’s… Lois.” Clark doesn’t elaborate, but Kara understands. Anyone who’d ever met Lois Lane would. “I guess… yeah, I might have gotten a little sweaty. It was weird, the only other time I had was when I lost my powers.” He pauses. “Is there… someone special?”

“Maybe,” Kara allows. She doesn’t think she wants to have the 'I want to date a Luthor' conversation over the phone. “I, she—I don’t know. We’re friends.”

“Well, I think you should go for it,” he says. Kara grimaces. She’s pretty sure he wouldn’t be saying that if he knew who they were talking about, and she hates feeling dishonest.

“I’m going to. I just didn’t know if the way I’m feeling was... normal.”

“Kara, there’s nothing more normal than being nervous about asking someone out. Human or Kryptonian, we’ve all got the same feelings.”

It’s a reminder that Clark thinks of himself as more human than Kryptonian, but it doesn’t hurt as badly as it used to when she was new to this planet, fresh off of Krypton’s destruction. Love matches weren’t done on Krypton, but Kara’s feelings for Lena are real. Living here has changed her. Sometimes Kara doesn’t know how she feels about that, but in this case… In this case, she thinks it’s good.

“Thanks Ka—Clark. I’m gonna go for it.” Kara laughs. “Or at least I’m gonna try.”

“Let me know how it goes.”

Kara promises she will before hanging up.

Kara bites her lip. So she’s not sick, she’s nervous. She can deal with nervous. Right? Right. After all, she’s got nerves of steel (she grins a little at the joke).

Of course, she didn’t count on her nerves building all the way up the long, long elevator ride to the top floor. Has the elevator ride always taken this long? Kara’s doing her best not to give into full-blown fidgeting when the elevator doors finally open.

“Hi Jess!” Kara says, wincing as her voice come out higher-pitched than normal. “Um, I was, is Lena available?”

Jess looks at her, just a touch condescending. Kara wilts.

“Ms. Luthor is available. You can head right in.”

Kara doesn’t know whether to feel relieved that she doesn’t have to wait or terrified that it’s time. Nevertheless, she heads into Lena’s office.

“Kara!” Lena’s smile is bright and Kara feels herself relax, just a little.

“I, um, I just wanted to see you. Sorry about not texting first or something.” Kara catches herself wringing her hands. So much for relaxation.

“Well, that’s a treat,” Lena replies, getting up. “I could use a bit of a break. Join me on the couch?”

Kara does. Is it just her, or did Lena sit closer to her than usual? Kara swears she can feel just a little bit of the body heat coming off of her, but maybe it’s just the first time she’s paid enough attention to notice.

Lena’s looking at her with a small smile. Kara doesn’t know what it means.

“So, um, I, I was, uh, wondering, that is, I—”

Lena’s smile is getting wider by the moment. “Go on, spit it out.”

“Do you... do you like dogs?” Kara could slap herself. That’s not at all what she meant to say. She panicked.

“Do I... like dogs?”

“Yeah um, I was just thinking, they’re such good pets…” Kara trails off.

Lena looks perplexed. “Were you... planning on getting me one?”

“No! I mean, my cousin has a dog, it just got me thinking about, you know, dog people.” Kara’s face is flushed, she can feel it.

“Well…” Lena draws out, measured. “I don’t know. We never had pets growing up. I’m not really home enough to have a dog right now.”

“Right. I—” Kara starts, intending to get back on track, but Lena’s phone rings.

“I’m sorry,” Lena says, looking truly apologetic. “I have to take this. Maybe we could pick this up later?”

“Sure, sure,” Kara agrees quickly, and she’d be lying if she didn’t admit her exit from Lena’s office was something of a hasty retreat.

 

_Two_

Though she was able to pay attention during her phone call, Lena finds herself wondering about Kara’s strange visit earlier. Kara had seemed... tense. Nervous? But why?

Had she been intending to ask Lena something else? Something personal? The thought keeps nagging at her the rest of the day. She’s a scientist, she doesn’t like not knowing things.

Time creeps on, and Lena finds her ability to focus getting worse and worse. At 7:30, she sighs in irritation and picks up her phone, texting Kara.

_Want to come to my office and finish up that conversation from earlier?_

Right away, she sees three grey dots pop up. Typing, typing. When the text comes, it’s oddly short for having taken so long to type.

_Sounds good. Be there in 15 :)_

The next 15 minutes pass very slowly, but a knock comes at her door very nearly on the dot. Kara is usually punctual, but down to the minute? Lena wonders if she got there early and waited, and if so, why?

“Hi, Lena,” Kara says quietly when she comes in, and she seems... shy?

“Hey, Kara.” Lena gets up, but neither of them moves towards the couch. The tension in the air makes Lena uneasy. Has she done something to mess up her relationship with Kara?

Kara walks towards her and Lena can’t help but be drawn to approach her too. They stop, close but not touching. Kara looks down.

“I didn’t mean to ask you about dogs earlier. That wasn’t—it wasn’t why I came by.” When Kara glances back up, her eyes are full of something Lena can’t quite name. Resolve? She’s never seen this expression on Kara Danvers’ face before.

Lena’s mouth is dry. “I didn’t think it was. But... but I don’t know _why_ you came by.”

Kara takes in a deep breath, squares her shoulders, looking straight at Lena. It’s familiar somehow, but Lena can’t quite place it.

“I came here to ask you if you wanted to go—”

Without warning, a loud, booming explosion knocks Lena off her feet, and the ceiling starts to crumble. A chunk starts falling down towards her, she can’t move fast enough, but suddenly Kara is _there_ and she wants to scream, get out of the way, and—

And the chunk of concrete and plaster crumbles into dust and pieces off Kara’s back, dropping harmlessly off to either side.

“I didn’t want you to find out this way,” Kara says, removing her glasses. “I’m sorry.”

A metal beam hangs precariously from the ceiling, dangling above them. Kara _floats_ up there and twists it back into place with her bare hands. Lena gapes at her.

Lena stares at her, quickly putting together all the pieces. Kara, standing healthy and whole in front of her after the ceiling fell on her. Kara, flying. Kara, without her glasses, looking just like—

“Supergirl.”

The betrayal hits, hard and sudden and acrid in her throat. Kara, lying to her all this time, her only friend…

Lena scrambles up, away from Kara. “Were you ever really my friend,” she spits out, “or were you just keeping an eye on me? Keeping tabs on your local Luthor?”

“Lena, no,” Kara says, “no, I swear, I never—”

Lena can’t handle this right now. She can’t handle this conversation, she can’t handle almost dying, _again_ , she can’t handle being saved by her best friend, who just so happens to be Supergirl.

“Go,” she says, looking away. “Please, just go.”

When Lena looks up, the last thing she sees is Kara’s stricken face before she flies away. Lena tells herself the feeling settling in her stomach isn’t guilt. She almost believes it.

 

_Three_

It’s 11 o’clock and Kara is on her couch in her comfiest pajamas, working her way through her fifth pint of ice cream. She’s feeling badly enough to be eating the vegan one Maggie left here, having run out of her own.

Her confrontation with Lena could hardly have gone any worse. Forget asking her out, Kara’s pretty sure she just lost her best friend. Maybe it would have been different if she’d _told_ her—and she would have, eventually—but it’s too late for that now. It’s too late for anything.

A knock at her door startles Kara out of her thoughts. A quick glance using her x-ray vision reveals... Lena?

Kara very nearly falls over herself getting up. Lena, here, at her apartment? Has she come to tell her off, and to say in no uncertain terms ever to come near her again? Kara stands by the door, hesitating.

“Kara,” Lena says, quietly, “I know you can hear me. Please, open the door. I just want to talk.”

It’s the “please” that gets her. Please doesn’t (usually) come before an ugly fight.

“Hi,” Kara says, opening the door. She notes with guilt that Lena’s eyes are red-rimmed, matching her own. “Um, come in. We can, uh, we can sit on my couch.”

Lena nods, and Kara has just enough time to feel a twinge of embarrassment about the empty pints of ice cream lying on the table.

“I wanted to say I’m sorry,” Lena begins when they sit down, and Kara starts in surprise. “Sorry for how I reacted earlier.”

“Lena…”

“No, please, let me finish. I understand why you didn’t tell me. It’s dangerous, with my family history—”

“Lena, no,” Kara interrupts firmly. “It was never about that. I’ve _never_ cared about your last name.”

“Then why…” Lena’s voice cracks.

Kara sighs. “All my life, ever since I got to this planet, I was told to be normal, to hide who I am. It—it’s scary being an alien. I know I have superpowers and everything, but you never know what someone will do, when they find out. When I was 14, the government forced my foster father to work for them. They threatened to take me away if he didn’t. He disappeared on a mission ten years ago.”

“Kara... I’m so sorry.” Lena takes her hand, gently, as though she’s afraid Kara might pull it away. “I... I  never knew.”

“It’s okay. But can you see, can you understand, why I hide myself? I’ve only ever told one person, everyone else who knew found out from someone else. And... and there’s another thing…” Kara trails off, not sure how to say what she means.

“What is it? I swear I’ll listen.”

“It’s just that... when I’m with you, you like me for Kara. I can just _be_ Kara, around you. I never had to worry that you liked me because I was her—Supergirl. I liked that you liked me for _me_. I didn’t want to lose that.”

When Kara looks at Lena, she’s surprised to see that the other woman’s eyes are wet.

“Oh, Kara,” Lena sighs. “I never wanted you to be anything other than what you are. I still _do_ like you for you. But... I don’t know all of you. And I’d like to, if you’d let me.”

Kara feels herself smiling for the first time since the explosion, Lena's hand still in hers.

“I’d like nothing more.”

And then Lena smiles, real and genuine, and...

“Lena... what I’ve been trying to ask you all day—will you go out with me? On a date?”

Lena’s smile gets even brighter, and she holds Kara’s hand tightly.

“Yes, yes, of course, I’d love to go on a date with you.”

Kara feels like she’s flying, and is half-surprised to find she isn’t actually floating.

“Good. That’s really good. I, um, wow. I think, I think I used up all my smoothness to ask you out.”

“Then I’ll be the one that’s smooth now,” Lena says, and leans in close and kisses her.

\---------------

Deep underground, the sounds of construction are muffled by the oppressive weight of the earth. Hallways wind through the earth’s crust, lit by harsh fluorescent lights. All the pieces are starting to fall into place.

Lillian Luthor smiles. It’s nearly time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So apparently my dumb ass forgot to mark this as a multi-chapter work initially. Whoops! Here's the next (unintentionally unexpected) chapter!

Kara has a date with Lena. That’s good. That's great! But it also means she has to _plan_ a date.

Normally, she’d ask Alex for advice. But normally, Kara isn't taking out Lena Luthor. Alex has been skeptical of her friendship with Lena—and this is, well, it’s a step beyond that. Kara doesn’t really want to deal with Alex’s disapproval and the inevitable argument until she knows things between her and Lena will work out. It’s not that she’s ashamed of Lena—it’s not that at all—she just wants to start their potential _something_ on a positive note.

It’s only one date. Low pressure. She already knows she gets on with Lena well, can talk to her, and at least it won’t be an awkward disaster like all those Internet dates (or at least, it _shouldn’t_ be). If it goes well, Kara will ask Lena on another date—or maybe Lena will ask her! They don’t need to rush into anything, and if it ends up working, _then_ she’ll tell Alex.

As if on cue, her phone rings, Alex’s name flashing on the screen.

“Alex?”

“Hey, Kara. Maggie called me about the progress on the L-Corp bombing. I thought you’d want to hear about it.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do. What’d you find out?”

“The bomb was technologically very advanced, complex. It had to be, to damage the building’s structure that badly. It was definitely targeting Lena’s office. As it so happens, one of L-Corp’s engineer was fired last week—inappropriate advances towards some female coworkers. Apparently the guy’s a creep. NCPD has a warrant to search his place and a team is headed over now.”

“Do they need me?”

“Nah, it’s fine. How’d you hear about the bombing anyway? You called me right after it happened, before the media even got a hold of it.”

“Ummmm.” Kara doesn’t really want to tell Alex that Lena knows, but she’s also very bad at lying point-blank to her sister. “I, uh, I may have been there. When the bomb went off.”

“Kara…” Yep, there’s that tone in Alex’s voice. The one that usually means trouble with a capital T. “Were you _with_ Lena when the bomb exploded? Did she see anything… unusual?”

“Well,” Kara begins, “you see, the thing is, even if she did see something, it’s, um, it’s not a problem.”

“Not a problem? Lena goddamn Luthor saw you do something super and it’s _not a problem?!_ ”

“No,” Kara says, a little hotly. “It’s not. She’s not like her family. It’s not fair to judge her based on what her family’s done. My dad created the Medusa virus, remember? Is that somehow my fault?”

“You know it’s not. And that’s beside the point. Have you forgotten that this is the same woman who made an alien detection device?”

Kara definitely hasn’t. If this thing between them goes any further, they’re going to have to talk about it.

“No. But she’s learning, Alex, she is.”

Alex makes a frustrated noise, apparently giving up. “Just tell me what happened.”

“A big piece of the ceiling was going to fall on her. You know I couldn’t let that happen. There wasn’t time for her to move out of the way. I… I shielded her from it. When I didn’t get squished, she realized who I was.”

Kara can actually hear Alex grinding her teeth through the phone.

“She knows you’re Supergirl,” her sister says flatly. “Great. Just perfect.”

“We talked about it. She didn’t take it well at first, but we’re okay. She isn’t going to tell anyone or _do_ anything.”

“I’m going to her office,” Alex growls. “She has some paperwork to sign.”

Kara has a bad feeling about how _that_ interaction is going to go.

“Please don’t scare her off. She’s my best friend.”

“I won’t scare her… much.” That’s probably the best Kara’s going to get.

“Okay,” she sighs. “Catch up with you later?”

“Definitely.”

After a quick goodbye, Kara hangs up. Hopefully this doesn’t complicate everything—but with Alex getting involved, it might.

\----------------

Lena looks up as the door to her office swings open, a stone-faced Alex Danvers storming through. Was she getting the shovel talk already? No matter what, Lena refuses to be intimidated, even by a federal agent with a gun conspicuously strapped to her hip.

“Ms. Luthor, I’m so sorry,” Jess says, hot on Alex's heels. “I tried to stop her, but—”

“It’s fine,” Lena says, raising a hand. “I don’t think anyone can stop Agent Danvers here when she has her mind set on something. Please just make sure we aren’t disturbed.”

“Yes, of course,” Jess quickly agrees, and scurries back out.

The Danvers sisters can’t be good for her blood pressure, Lena reflects.

“So, Agent Danvers, to what do I owe this pleasure?”

“I heard what happened the other night. We’ve got some talking to do.”

That throws Lena. _Did Kara tell Alex already?_ “What, ah, what did you hear? I assure you I have only the best intentions towards—”

“Best of intentions? What, are you dating her?” Alex snorts, and Lena realizes they’re talking about two completely different things.

“Um, no, of course not. I...I would never do anything to hurt your sister?” Lena doesn’t mean to end on a question, but she’s still not entirely sure what they’re talking about.

“You’d better not. I could lock you up where they’d never find you, Luthor.”

Lena raises an eyebrow. “Are you _threatening_ me, Agent Danvers? I'm not sure Kara would approve.”

“Sometimes Kara doesn’t know what’s best for her,” Alex says gruffly. “But she trusts you. So I’m giving you a chance— _tentatively_.”

“I hope I don’t disappoint you. But please, just say what you have to say. I’m a busy woman.”

Alex nods. “You know she’s Supergirl. I can’t say I don’t have a problem with that. But right now I don’t have any choice but to trust you. Kara would kill me if I just wrote you off—to be honest, she’s not thrilled I’m here now. To start, I have some paperwork you need to fill out. It’s _not_ optional.”

Alex slides some papers across her desk and Lena briefly peruses them. They seem like standard NDA’s. She’d like to have her lawyers go over them, but she doesn’t think Alex will wait. Besides… she can’t let her lawyers in on Kara’s secret.

“I’ll sign anything you like,” Lena says smoothly. “But I'd prefer to keep a copy for my records. I’ll keep it locked in my personal safe—I’m not risking Kara’s information either.”

“Fine,” Alex says grudgingly, “ _after_ I redact Kara’s name off of your copy.”

“Reasonable.” Lena signs with a flourish. “You may not believe me, but I really do care about her. I’m not going to tell.”

Alex studies her with a searching look. “I’ve been trained to spot liars, and I admit, you’re not showing any signs. But if anyone could lie flawlessly, I’d bet it’d be you.”

Lena looks right back at her. “Then I guess we’ll see, won’t we?”

“We will.” Alex walks away, but as she gets to the door, she turns back. “You get one chance, Luthor. Don’t waste it.”

Lena nods. “I won’t.”

It’s only after Alex has left the room and closed the door that Lena allows herself to take a deep, shaking breath, already dreading the conversation once Alex finds out she’s dating Kara.

Still… Lena can appreciate how protective Alex is of Kara, how much she loves her. It reminds her of how Lex used to be—but that thought hurts too much, and she locks it away where all the rest of her memories of him live. _Out of sight, out of mind_ , she tells herself, knowing that it’s a lie.

Her phone vibrating pulls Lena out of her dark thoughts. It’s Kara. Despite herself, a small smile pulls at her face.

_Alex told me she was done talking to you. I’m sorry about that. She probably wasn’t very nice. I tried to stop her but… well, you know Alex._

Lena huffs a small laugh. Yes, she supposes she does know Alex.

_Don’t worry about it. She was just being a big sister. It’s nice she cares about you so much._

_Yeah_ , Kara replies, and then: _So… about that date. How’s tonight?_

Lena thinks quickly. It’s 4 o’clock, and she has a conference call at six, but she can do anytime after seven. That gives her a little bit of time to go home and get ready—she doesn’t need much, just a change of clothes and a quick bite to eat. She texts Kara her availability.

 _Perfect_ , is the reply. _8 o’clock? Should I pick you up at L-Corp, or…?_

 _My place_ , Lena replies, texting her the address. _Should I wear anything special?_

_Anything is good. You always look amazing :)_

Kara is charming without even trying. It’s one of the most endearing things about her. Putting down her phone, Lena goes back to work, doing her best to ignore the butterflies of anticipation fluttering in her stomach.

\----------------

“Dr. Edgar Cizko, otherwise known as ‘Doctor Psycho.’” Condescension drips off Lillian Luthor’s voice. “We pulled a lot of strings to get you here. Follow me, and _don’t touch anything_.”

“Wouldn’t dream of disobeying you, dear Lillian. Just as I’m sure you wouldn’t dream of not listening to m—argh!” The diminutive man staggers, clutching his head, fingers disappearing into unruly black hair. “What the f—”

“It would be unwise to try your mental manipulations here Doctor. The entire facility is protected against mind control.”

“Well then, what do you want me here for, you bitch? Mind control is my whole _thing_.”

“The subject we want you to work on is immune to telepathy. You were once a psychologist, were you not?”

“Yeah, what of it? Bunch of pansies, never went far enough—”

“That won’t be a problem here.” Lillian smiles tightly. “I heard you’re an expert in psychological pressure tactics.”

Slowly, Psycho bares his teeth in a grin, eyes alight with malice.

\---------------

Kara checks over her appearance four times in the mirror before she’s ready to leave her apartment. She’s settled on her third outfit, a blue dress that brings out her eyes and a simple white cardigan, unbuttoned. Normally she would ask Alex for advice but, well… she maaaaay have done a little super-eavesdropping on Alex’s conversation/interrogation of Lena, and she doesn’t think telling her sister that she’s taking the woman she just threatened on a date is the wisest idea.

She flies to Lena’s apartment, slower than usual so her hair won’t get too windswept. She gets there at 7:55, and by the time she’s at Lena’s penthouse door it’s 7:58. Is it okay to be early? Is that too eager? Should she just wait outside Lena’s door for two minutes like some kind of creeper?

Before she can decide, an amused Lena opens the door.

“Were you planning on knocking?”

“Yes!” Kara squawks, indignant. “It, I was early, I didn’t—how did you know I were here, anyway?”

Lena laughs.

“I have cameras outside my apartment. It’s a security measure to alert me if I have unexpected visitors, but apparently it’s also good for catching cute girls standing flummoxed outside my apartment.” She winks, and Kara blushes.

Her flush only deepens when she realizes how beautiful Lena looks in a simple but elegant dress, deep red, with a black choker that draws Kara’s attention to her neck—her very long, lovely neck.

“I, um, you look good. Really good! Great.” Oh god, is Kara going to lose her ability to talk this entire date?

Lena leans in and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek. “You look great too. So, where are we going?”

“The observatory. I thought you’d like the science and I—I like the stars.”

Lena’s eyes turn thoughtful. “I bet you do. You see them like nobody else on Earth—well, except your cousin.”

“I could show you sometime,” Kara offers, suddenly breathless. “If you wanted.”

“I’m not a big fan of flying,”—Kara winces, she should have considered that—“but if it was with you, maybe it would be okay.”

Kara nods. “Maybe.”

“So how are we getting there?” Lena asks.

“Uh.” Kara forgot. She flew here, but Lena can’t fly. Obviously. “I, um, I flew here. I fly almost everywhere. I, uh, sometimes forget about arranging other transportation.”

Lena laughs. “‘Flew here on a bus.’ How I didn’t clue in…” She smiles at Kara. “It’s okay. I’ll call a driver.”

Kara is very, very aware of Lena sitting next to her during the drive to the observatory. It’s a bit of a long one, taking them outside the city limits where the stars are visible. Kara glances sideways at Lena’s hand. It’s so close… if she can just be brave enough…

Slowly, Kara reaches out and puts her hand on top of Lena’s. Lena turns hers around and interlaces their fingers. They don’t talk much on the way there, but it’s a comfortable silence. Kara can feel Lena’s pulse through her fingertips.

They pull up outside the observatory, and Lena thanks their driver and tells him she’ll text him for a pickup. Grinning, Kara pulls her by the hand into the observatory.

Kara pays for their tickets. Lena starts to argue, but Kara reminds her, “ _I_ asked _you_ on this date, Lena,” and that’s that. Judging from the small smile Kara catches when Lena thinks she’s not looking, Lena thinks it’s sweet that Kara paid for her, even though she’s got her Luthor billions.

“Come on," Kara says, leading Lena away from the observation deck, "there’s some cool exhibits about astrophysics and the history of astronomy this way.”

As Kara suspected, Lena loves this part of the observatory. She avidly reads every single plaque, closely inspecting the technology and enthusiastically discussing it with Kara. Krypton’s astro-technology was far superior to Earth’s, but Kara likes listening to Lena talk. She’s so excited, so animated, so _brilliant_. She may well be the smartest woman in National City, Kara thinks.

Kara lets Lena lead the way through every single room, spending as much time looking at Lena as she does at the exhibits. Lena is just so beautiful, and even moreso when she’s passionate about something, like this.

Finally, it’s time. They make their way to the observation deck. They aren’t allowed to look through the big fancy telescope of course, but there’s little ones out here to use.

“This is my favorite part,” Kara whispers to Lena, taking her by the hand. “Come here, I want to show you something.”

Kara easily finds the familiar patch of sky and lets go of Lena's hand to position the telescope. “Look through it,” she instructs, and Lena does. “That star, the one in the middle, a little dull? That’s Rao. My sun. The sun of my people.”

“Rao,” Lena repeats, rolling the unfamiliar word around in her mouth. “Krypton’s sun.”

“Our sun and our god,” Kara agrees. “First there was nothing, and then there was Rao. Rao created Krypton, and then all its people, because that was right and good. We live our lives under his shining red rays…" she falters, voice fading to a near whisper. "Or, we used to. I never will again.”

Lena looks at her. “Kara…”

“When we die we go into Rao’s light. My family is there. I’ll see them again someday, I know.”

Lena reaches over and takes her hand. “I’m sure you will.”

“You used to be able to see Krypton,” Kara tells her. “But it was 27 light-years away from Earth. Three years after I arrived here, it vanished. I cried the entire night the first time I saw it was gone.”

“I’m sorry,” Lena says, pulling her into a hug. “I’m so sorry.”

Kara melts into it, feeling safe, before pulling away just a little. “I’ve grown to love Earth as my home. There are so many people who I care about here.” She smiles. “Like you.”

“I’m glad,” Lena says after a pause, “that I’m one of those people.”

“Me too.”

There isn’t much to say after that. Kara feels wrung out emotionally, but in a good way. It’s been so long since she had someone to talk to about Krypton. She’s been hesitant to bring it up to Alex after the Black Mercy, afraid her sister will think she wants to be _there_ , instead of with her on Earth. But Lena… Lena will just listen, and do her best to understand.

Lena texts the driver, and they have a nice ride home, Kara leaning against Lena’s shoulder, taking comfort from the physical contact.

The driver goes to Lena’s place automatically, and Kara offers to walk her to her door.

“I had a really nice time tonight,” Lena says, smiling softly.

“So did I,” Kara replies. “Lena… can I kiss you?”

In answer, Lena steps closer, removes the glasses from Kara’s face. The kiss is just as sweet as the first time, until it isn’t, when a little moan escapes Kara and Lena presses her against the door. Kara could drown in this kiss.

“Wow,” she breathes. “Just… wow.”

“Wow,” Lena agrees, pulling back. “You should… you should probably head home now. I don’t want to rush anything, and if I kiss you again, I definitely will.”

“Okay.” Kara gives her a quick peck on the lips.

“Kara?” Lena asks as she turns to leave. “Next time, _I_ want to take _you_ out.”

After that, Kara’s pretty sure she could fly home even without her superpowers.

\---------------

When Lena enters her office the next morning, there’s a manila envelope sitting on her desk. She has no idea how it could have gotten there—Lena’s early, and Jess isn’t in yet.

She opens it, and a picture falls out. Lena gasps. It’s a photo of her and Kara kissing— _taken from her own security camera_. The angle is unmistakable. Someone hacked her formerly foolproof system. And the number of people or organizations with the resources to do that is vanishingly small.

A note flutters out from behind the photo. Lena turns it over and immediately recognizes her mother’s handwriting.

_I know who your date is._

The last S is drawn like the shield that sits on top of Kara’s chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all liked! I'm leaving for an unexpected to to visit Alisa/a-dot-burr-el for July 4th, so it may be a few days before the next update--although she's a fic writer too, so you never know :)


	3. Chapter 3

Lena looks at the note in her hand, horror rising in her throat at the damning words in her mother’s perfect, precise hand. Her mother knows about Kara. Her mother, the head of Cadmus, _knows_ about Kara.

How long has she known? She doesn’t appear to have made a move against Kara as Kara yet. Has Lena painted a target on her back by dating her? She can’t imagine her mother would react well to her daughter dating Supergirl. Will she escalate her attacks now? How could Lena have failed to consider this?

 _Stupid_ , she berates herself. _Stupid and careless, to forget who your family is_. Kara might not care that Lena’s a Luthor, but how long can that stay true when Lena being a Luthor results in _this?_

Their date had gone so well, and the chemistry between them...well, Lena hadn’t needed to worry about there not being a spark. Kissing Kara had been amazing—so amazing Lena had to force herself to stop before she jumped the gun. But now, with her mother involved…

She needs to talk to Kara. Lena pulls out her phone.

Kara answers on the second ring. “Hey, Lena!”

“Kara,” Lena says gravely. “We need to talk.”

“Did I… did I do something? Did I tell you too much about Krypton too fast? I—”

“It’s nothing you did, I promise. It’s… I don’t think it’s safe to discuss over the phone. How soon can you meet me at my office?”

Kara takes a moment to answer, clearly thinking. “We have a department meeting at ten. I could probably be there by eleven? Does that work for you? I know you have a busy schedule.”

“I’ll clear it for this,” Lena says grimly, and hears Kara take in a quick breath.

“I’ll see if there’s any way I can get out of the meeting—”

“No, no,” Lena stops her. “It _is_ serious, but it's not urgent. You only just got rehired by CatCo. It can wait for a couple hours; I just don’t want to wait all day.”

“Okay. I’ll see you soon.”

Lena says her goodbyes and hangs up, calling in Jess, who has now arrived.

“Ms. Luthor?”

“Jess, please reschedule my eleven o’clock call with Ted Kord and block out the entire hour for Kara Danvers. Unless it's _literally_ life or death, I don't want to be interrupted.”

“Of course,” Jess says, brow furrowed. “If something is wrong…”

“It’s a private matter,” Lena replies, recognizing the offer for help, “but thank you.”

Jess nods and leaves. Lena turns her attention back to her computer, determined to find something to absorb her attention until eleven.

Unfortunately, Lena finds her usual iron self-discipline absent, unable to keep her thoughts from straying to Kara and her mother. When eleven o’clock comes and Kara walks in, looking apprehensive, Lena sighs in relief.

“Hey,” she says, smiling to try and put Kara at ease. Judging from Kara’s continued tension, the other woman can tell it’s not as genuine as usual. “Want to talk on the couch?”

Kara assents, and Lena opens her drawer and grabs the manila envelope with the note and photo in it before heading over.

“What’s wrong?” Kara asks as soon as she sits down. “Lena, I…”

“I promise it’s nothing you’ve done. I had a wonderful time last night. But I got here this morning and… I found this.”

Lena passes over the photo, saving the note for next. _One thing at a time_.

Kara looks it over, eyebrows raising and mouth dropping open slightly. “Is… is someone trying to blackmail you? Are they going to out you?”

“While I’ve never advertised it, I haven’t kept my sexuality a secret either. You wouldn’t recognize it, but this photo was taken using my own security system.”

“Wha— _how?_ Who could have done that?”

“I don’t know. I thought the system was unhackable with current technology. But while I don’t know who specifically hacked it, I do know who ordered it.” Lena passes the note to Kara. “My mother _knows._ ”

To Lena’s surprise, Kara doesn’t appear to react to that.

“I… I knew that. That she knows. We had a… small confrontation during the Daxamite invasion.”

“You knew? And you didn’t _tell_ me?!” Lena clenches her fists in her lap. “You knew my mother knows you’re Supergirl and you didn’t tell me that?”

“I—I’m sorry. I didn’t think—”

“No, you didn’t! Don’t you realize how dangerous this is? What she could do to you? To me?” Lena’s voice is rising higher and higher with each word. “I’m dating the cousin of the person she hates most and _you didn’t think of letting me know?_ ”

“It all happened so fast!” Kara wrings her hands. “Your mother, she told me you would hate me when you found out the truth—that I’d been lying—and when you did, I thought she was right! I thought you hated me and that I ruined _everything_.”

“I could never hate you,” Lena says quietly, some of the anger dissipating. “But why didn’t you tell me when we made up?”

“I... I got _distracted_. I just got caught up in everything with asking you out and the date and... Lena, I’m sorry."

“You were so distracted by going on a date with me that you forgot my mother—your archnemesis—knows who you are,” Lena repeats.

“Yes? I know it seems stupid, but I’m not Supergirl all the time, sometimes I’m just Kara, and when it’s not a crisis yeah, sometimes I get distracted by my normal life. And you, you’re a big part of my life. The part that’s Kara Danvers.”

Lena is torn between being flattered she’s so distracting and concerned for the same reason. Ultimately, concern wins out.

“Isn’t that dangerous? For you to be so distracted by me? Can we even do thi—”

“Don’t,” Kara cuts her off. “Don’t say that. I can’t be Supergirl all the time. If you’re going to break this off, do it, but don’t do it because you think Supergirl is more important than Kara Danvers. And…” Kara’s voice gets quieter, “and I don’t want you to do that, end it.”

“I don’t want to either,” Lena says honestly. “It's not that I think that Supergirl is more important, but I’m worried about what my mother will do to you because you’re dating me.”

“Isn’t that my decision to make?” Kara looks up at her, resolute. “Because I think you’re worth the risk.”

“But what if I don’t?”

Kara takes her hand. “Then I’ll show you you are.”

What can Lena say after that? She leans into Kara. “Okay.”

Lena closes her eyes, allows herself a few moments of comfort. “But what are we going to do about this? It seems like she’s escalating.”

“You’re right. I think… I think I need to tell Alex, show her the picture and the note.” Kara sighs. “I was going to wait to tell her until I knew things would work out between us. Not because I’m ashamed of you, but because I didn’t want to start things off with Alex’s disapproval hanging over our heads.”

“You just told me you think I’m worth risking my mother’s wrath over,” Lena reminds her. “I know we’ve only been on one date, but… I don’t know. That seems like a good sign. Maybe this has been building a long time. Longer than either of us realized.”

“Maybe. Probably. I’m not, well, I’m not great at realizing when I like someone that way. But we’ve definitely had an _intense_ friendship.”

Lena laughs half-heartedly. “I let you hold me after I killed Jack. I wouldn’t have let anyone else do that.”

“I know,” Kara says.

Lena makes herself move away.

“You should tell Alex. This note… it’s not something that can wait.”

“No, it’s not. But before I leave…” Kara smiles at her. “Can I kiss you goodbye?”

“Yes,” Lena breathes, and the feel of Kara’s hand on her face and the taste of her lips on her mouth lingers long after Kara’s left the room.

\---------------

Lillian watches Hank Henshaw drill his team of recruits. “Are they almost ready?”

“Nearly. But the target they’re going up against… I wouldn’t want to send them out until they’re better than perfect.”

“I don’t know that we have that much time. All the other pieces are already in play. I can only stall for so long.”

“Give me a few more weeks,” Henshaw says grimly, “and even _she_ won’t be able to withstand them.”

\---------------

Kara strides into the DEO, determined not to let any of her nervousness show on her face. Alex is in the control room, talking to J’onn.

“Um, Alex? Could I talk to you, uh, privately?”

Alex turns to her, brows furrowed quizzically. J’onn looks at her steadily, but Kara thinks she can see the hint of a question in his eyes.

“Sure,” Alex responds. "We can go to my lab?”

“Is there anywhere that doesn’t have glass walls?”

“You can use my office,” J’onn cuts in. “Is there something I should know about?”

“Maybe,” Kara admits. “I’ll talk to Alex about it.”

J’onn nods. “Good. Alex, you know where my office is?”

Alex does and she takes Kara to it, shutting the door behind them.

“So, what’s going on?” she asks. “You’re doing that thing where you’re trying not to look nervous and it just makes you look serious but with your hands moving around too much.”

Kara makes a conscious effort to still her hands. “I… I need to tell you something. It’s not a bad thing, but… I don’t think you’re going to like it. Just… just please try to keep an open mind.”

“Okay,” Alex says slowly. “Okay. What is it?”

“I went on a date,” Kara pauses, taking a deep breath, “with Lena Luthor.”

“With—with Lena _Luthor?_ Lex Luthor’s sister and Lillian Luthor’s daughter? _That_ Lena Luthor?”

“Yes,” Kara answers a little hotly, “ _that_ Lena Luthor, who’s done nothing but help us and be a good friend to me ever since she came to this city.”

“As far as you know.” Alex clenches her fists. “You told me yesterday that she knows who you are, and today you’re telling me that you're _dating_ her? You couldn’t date literally anyone else?”

“No, because I like _her_. You said you’d try to keep an open mind. You’re not doing that!”

Alex releases a breath through her nose. “I’m trying to protect you. But you make it so damn hard to do that.”

“You don’t _need_ to protect me from Lena. She’d never do anything to hurt me. Not on purpose.”

“That’s what she said when I talked to her. She… oh, god. ‘The best of intentions.’ You were dating her even then! And you didn’t tell me!”

“Technically, we only went on our first date last night. And this is why I didn’t want to tell you! The way you’re acting now!”

“Were you ever planning on telling me?” Alex asks quietly.

“Of course. I just wanted to wait to see if it would be serious. I didn’t want to have to start anything with _this_.”

Alex runs a hand down her face. “Okay. Okay. You’re dating Lena Luthor. But you didn’t come here just to tell me that, did you?”

“No. I didn’t.” Kara hands her the photo and the note. Alex looks at the photo with a faint expression of distaste before moving her attention to the note.

“‘I know who your date is.’ Kara, who is this from? Who else knows?!”

“Lillian Luthor. Lena said it’s her handwriting. We knew that she knows. But it seems like she’s doing something about it now. And… and that photo was taken from Lena’s own security camera, which is supposed to be unhackable.”

“ _We’ve_ never been able to get in,” Alex mutters. Kara glares at her. “What? You can’t blame us for trying.”

“She hasn’t done anything. You shouldn’t invade her privacy like that. And isn’t that, y’know, illegal?”

Alex shrugs. “So was imprisoning Max Lord.”

“You’d better not do that to her." Kara warns. "But the photo, the note?”

“It’s bad. Lillian dropped off the map a couple months ago. We haven’t been able to find her since.”

“We’ll stop her. Maybe Lena can help.”

“I don’t trust her.”

“Well I do. I wish that was enough for you.”

“I’m giving her a chance to earn it. Asking out my sister wasn’t a great way to start, though.”

“Actually, I asked her out.”

Alex rolls her eyes. “Great. Anyways—we should tell J’onn about this. We’re going to need to dedicate more resources to tracking down Lillian.”

“Okay,” Kara checks the time. “Can you do it? I really should get back to work. I’ve already been gone too long.”

“I'll keep you posted.”

“Thanks.” Kara turns to leave. “Please, just give this a chance. Me and Lena.”

“I still think it’s a bad idea. But I can’t stop you. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Me too,” Kara sighs. “But if she hurts me, it won’t be for the reasons you think.”

“If she hurts you,” Alex says darkly, “nothing will stop me from putting her down.”

As she flies away, Kara tries to ignore the sinking feeling inside her. It could have gone worse, but it sure hadn’t gone well either.

\---------------

Lena walks up the stairs, juggling the multiple boxes of pizza to knock on the door. “Hey,” she greets as it opens.

Kara smiles tiredly. “Hey. Thanks for coming. And for bringing the pizza.”

“I got meat lover’s, pepperoni, supreme, Hawaiian, and veggie delight for me.”

Kara’s smile gets brighter. “You’re the actual best.”

Lena grins. “You make it easy to be.”

Kara settles them on the couch, Netflix paused.

“Buffy?” Lena observes.

“It’s my comfort show. Full of cool ladies and just the right kind of cheesy. Season five is my favorite.”

Lena nods. “It _is_ the best season.”

“You know Buffy?” Kara says, delighted. “What other pop culture secrets do you have hidden?”

“Not too many,” Lena laughs. “I like sci-fi, when I have the time—as long as the science isn’t so wrong it drives me crazy.”

“I can see that. I used to have the same problem—Kryptonian science was so much more advanced—but Star Wars was so _fun_ I just learned to ignore it.” Kara pauses. “I always skip the part where Alderaan is blown up though. And Rogue One shook me up pretty badly. Probably won’t watch that one again.”

Lena wonders just how much Kara’s sunny demeanor hides what must be an incredible amount of grief and loss. She can’t even begin to imagine it.

“I can’t watch things with mad scientists in them anymore,” she confides after a moment. “It reminds me too much of Lex.”

Kara leans against her. “I know everyone has their own personal traumas, but we’ve been through a lot, haven’t we?”

“We have. But my life is better now than it was before.” _Because you’re in it,_ Lena thinks.

“My life is good too. Being Supergirl, you, my friends, Alex.” Kara frowns. “Alex.”

“Do you want to talk about what happened earlier?”

“I don’t know if there is anything to talk about. Alex doesn’t approve of us dating. I’m not used to her not supporting me.”

“I think she’s still trying to support you,” Lena says carefully. “She wants to protect you—from me, and maybe even from yourself. She just wants what’s best for you.” Even as she says it, Lena wonders if Alex is right after all. But that’s not what Kara needs to hear right now.

“You’re probably right,” Kara sighs. “I guess it’ll just take time. When she sees you really are a good person, she’ll change her mind. I just hope she lets herself see it.”

 _And I hope you’re right about me,_ Lena thinks, but says, “I hope so too.”

They eat in silence for a while. Lena takes two slices while Kara demolishes three entire pizzas. She’d known Kara ate a lot, but now that she knows Kara’s an alien, it doesn’t look like she’s holding back anymore.

“How much do you need to eat?” she finally asks, amazed.

“About ten to fifteen thousand calories a day, depending on my activity level. The sun gives me energy so I don’t know if I could actually starve to death, but not eating enough definitely isn’t good for me.”

“How on earth can you afford to feed yourself?”

“My cousin’s friend Br—my cousin’s wealthy friend set up a fund for that. He pretends to be harsh and cold but I think secretly he’s actually nice, deep down.”

“Well, I’m glad someone’s helping you with that. I was concerned for a second there.”

Kara nudges her shoulder. “I’m glad you care.”

Lena hesitates. “I do. Care. It’s not… it’s not easy for me to be warm with people, but I’m trying. For you. I want to be.”

Kara looks at her with soft eyes. “I know. And I really… it really means a lot to me.” She leans in, and Lena meets her halfway, relaxing into a kiss that’s becoming as comfortable and familiar as the sun on her face.

Lena doesn’t want to stop kissing Kara. She never wants to stop kissing Kara. And judging by the way Kara is kissing her, Kara doesn’t want to either.

“Wait,” Lena breathes, “wait. I don’t want to go too fast.”

“Does this feel too fast?” Kara asks. “Or are you afraid I’ll run away if you push too much?”

“I want to keep going,” Lena admits, “and I don’t want you to leave.”

“I won’t,” Kara says, pushing her down onto the couch, “I promise. Stay the night. We don’t have to do anything more, but I want you to know I’m staying.”

Hours later, Kara asleep next to her, both of them still fully clothed, Lena starts to let herself believe it.

\---------------

Lillian looks at the man standing in front of her, skeptical. “Do you really think you can play your part in this?”

“Yes,” the man answers. “We have to do this. It’s for the greater good.”

“I need you to not flinch at anything we ask of you.”

Jeremiah Danvers steps out of the shadows. “I won’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out I did manage to write some while on vacation. Next chapter should be up soon!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rating change! This chapter is NSFW, fair warning.

It’s been two months. It’s been two months and things are going great—better than great. Things are _fantastic_.

Dating Lena has been… perfect, honestly. They’re both really busy—Kara with her job and Supergirl, Lena with her company—but somehow they always manage to find time for each other. Lunches squeezed in during breaks, kisses stolen on Lena’s balcony when Kara’s on patrol, even actual dates sometimes. Lena takes Kara out to places she could never afford where the food is _so good_ , and Kara takes Lena to places she wouldn’t normally think to go.

Last week, Kara had taken Lena to the zoo. Kara loves the zoo. She’s been on Earth for years now, but seeing all the different animals is still cool (and yes, she still really likes birds. She may have had a birdwatching phase).

_“Look!” Kara said, pulling Lena over with their joined hands. “The hippos are right there by the glass! Look how big they are! This guy's head is bigger than my whole body!”_

_When Kara tore her attention away from the hippos to glance at Lena, she found that Lena wasn’t looking at the animals at all, but instead smiling softly at her._

_“Lena,” Kara fake-pouted, “you’re supposed to be looking at the hippos.”_

_Lena laughed. “I’m sorry, darling, but you’re so cute when you’re this excited. It’s… charming.”_

_Butterflies swooped in Kara’s stomach. She grinned, blushing._

_“Well, okay. But you better pay attention to the birds!”_

So with their two month anniversary two days away, Kara wants to do something special to show Lena how much she lo—likes her. Yes, likes her; it’s way too soon for that other word (that feeling, warm in Kara’s chest, every time Lena smiles).

Anyway, the point is, she wants to do something special. She’s made sure she’s free (“Only call me in if it literally can’t be handled without me, please, J’onn.”), and she knows Lena has cleared up her schedule too.

The only problem is, Kara has no idea what to do. Normally she would ask Alex, but… well, Alex hasn’t quite warmed up to Lena. She and Lena appear to be in some kind of uneasy truce, where they mostly just ignore each other and Alex only gives Lena suspicious looks when she thinks she and Kara can’t see her. Alex can be pretty stubborn when she wants to be—doubly so when Kara's safety is concerned—but Kara really hopes Alex will try to get to know Lena a little better soon. She keeps telling herself it’s only a matter of time…

What matters to Lena? Not money or expense; she’s spent her entire life having people substitute gifts for love. Not extravagance, and not meticulous planning either—she’s said some of her favorite times with Kara are when they’ve done something spontaneous—breaking free of the rigidity normally pervading her life. What matters most to Lena… is Kara.

Kara smiles. She knows what to do.

\---------------

Kara pulls the chicken parmesan out of the oven, grinning. It’s perfect. Yes, her first attempt had come out a little… inedible, but she knew it would and had planned to have two practice cooking sessions. And now Lena will be here in just a few minutes and Kara has a nice home-cooked meal for her.

Moving the freshly-cooked meal to her nicest plates, Kara puts down the food on her kitchen table, carefully lighting the candles with her heat vision. Finally, Kara grabs a bottle of wine—one nice enough to suit Lena's tastes (she hopes). Everything’s ready just in the nick of time as Lena knocks on her door.

Kara glances down at her dress, quickly straightening it out. It’s a deep blue one she’s noticed Lena particularly likes—maybe because it shows off her legs a little. Nervously patting down her hair, Kara moves quickly to the door.

When she opens it, Kara’s breath catches in her throat. Lena is stunning in a tight-fitting green dress that makes her eyes vivid and bright, lips curved up in a smile just this side of suggestive.

“H-hey, Lena,” Kara manages to get out. “You look, um, wow.”

Lena kisses her on the cheek walking in. “You like quite ‘wow’ yourself.” She stops, looking at the scene before her: dinner ready on the table, candles burning, lights dimmed. “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”

Kara smiles. “I wanted to.”

Lena offers a small smile back, like she can’t believe someone did this for her, and Kara knows she made the right choice.

“Here,” Kara says, pulling out Lena’s chair for her. “Please, have a seat.”

Lena sits and so does Kara. Their eyes meet from across the table.

“I know it might be kind of silly, celebrating a two month anniversary like this,” Kara says, “but it’s been an _amazing_ two months for me. I’ve been so happy, and I wanted to do something to show you that.”

“I haven’t… had a relationship where we’ve celebrated this kind of thing before. But… this is nice.” Lena smiles at her again. “I can’t believe you cooked for me. You _never_ cook.”

“Try it!” Kara encourages, hoping for the best. Lena wasn’t wrong about her never cooking.

Lena pops a bite in her mouth, chews, swallows, her eyebrows going up. “Kara!” she says, sounding shocked and delighted. “This is delicious!”

Kara dramatically huffs a sigh, faking offense. “You sound so surprised.”

Lena laughs. “I think you and I both know you would live on take-out, if you could—actually, now that I think about it, I’m pretty convinced you _do_ live on take-out.”

Kara grins. “I will neither confirm nor deny that statement.” She takes a bite of the chicken herself. “Hey! It _is_ good!”

“You sound so surprised,” Lena echoes back to her, teasing.

“Maybe a little." Kara laughs. "Between you and me… third time was the charm.”

“So I’m going to open your garbage and find Frankenstein meals one and two?”

“I think it’s closer to post-lava Darth Vader, actually. Blackened and crispy.”

Lena snorts. “Just what I wanted to think about when I was eating. A severely burned Sith Lord.”

Kara chuckles, and there’s a comfortable silence for a while as both of them enjoy the food.

“You know," Lena said, putting down her fork, "I was afraid that I liked you, at first. You were my best friend—my only friend. But I’m glad you asked me out. I’m glad we’re doing this. I’m not used to being close to people—I used to think I’d forgotten how—but you make me want to try.”

Warmth blooms in Kara’s chest. How anyone could push Lena away, how anyone could not lo—want to be close to her, Kara doesn’t know.

“I’m glad. I—I’m trying, too. I’m good at making friends, but dating… that’s always been an area I wasn’t great at. Until you—or, um, at least I think so, I don’t know what you think—”

“I think you’re a wonderful girlfriend.” Lena pauses. They hadn’t discussed being “girlfriends” yet. “Um. I mean—”

“I’d love to be your girlfriend,” Kara blurts out before Lena can backtrack. “If that’s something you want too.”

Probably no one but Kara would be able to hear the small, relieved breath Lena lets out, and definitely no one but Kara would be able to hear the slowing of her heart.

“I’d like that. I wanted to ask you, although I certainly didn’t mean to spring it on you like _this_.”

“I’m glad you did,” Kara laughs, “because I wanted to ask you too. I was just afraid…”

“Afraid?” Lena asks, gently. “Of what?”

“Of… of going too fast too soon.” Kara tries a grin, but gets the feeling it isn’t especially convincing. “Didn’t want to scare you off.”

Lena’s face stills. “I know I can be guarded—”

“That’s not what I meant,” Kara rushes in to reassure her. “It’s just… I’ve jumped the gun before. I didn’t want to mess things up with you.”

Lena slowly reaches across the table, grabs her hand. “I… I won’t deny that my instinct is to run, sometimes. But I’m trying not to with you. I don’t want you to have to be nervous around me. Just… be patient with me?”

“Of course,” Kara breathes. “Of course I will.”

Kara wonders, then, about that feeling growing in her chest, the one threatening to stumble out of her lips, but… no, no, she doesn’t want to go there. Not yet.

Lena pushes her plate away. “Did you have any other plans for tonight?” she asks, a glint in her eye.

“Just one,” Kara says, getting up and taking her by the hand. She leads Lena back to her bedroom.

Standing by Kara’s bed, Lena turns to her with hooded eyes. “So is this the anniversary present?” she asks, voice at a slightly lower register than normal.

Kara kisses her, hands cupping her face, winding up into her hair. Lena pulls her close and Kara moans at the feeling of their bodies pressed together, Lena's tongue sliding against hers when she opens her mouth.

Kara loses herself in the kiss, forgetting everything but how amazing Lena’s mouth feels moving against hers. She barely notices as Lena turns them around, gasping when Lena pushes her back onto the bed.

Kara lies down, pillow under her head, and Lena settles down on top of her. And then Lena’s kissing her neck, sucking on her pulse point and oh, oh, Kara can’t think, she can’t even breathe—

“How do we get this off?” Lena asks, leaning back and tugging at Kara’s dress. “I want to feel you.”

“Zipper,” Kara gasps. “In the back. Your dress too.”

Quick and sure, Lena’s hands tug the zipper down as Kara arches her back off the bed, Lena pulling the dress down as Kara lifts her hips. Then Lena’s hands go to her own dress, and it’s coming off and revealing a lacy black bra and matching underwear. This isn’t the first time, but Kara still feels like she’s never seen anything so beautiful.

“You’re gorgeous,” she says, hands tracing up Lena’s sides and skimming over her breasts.

“So are you.” Lena leans down again, capturing Kara’s lips, taking a breast in her hand. Their bodies are flush together, skin on skin, Lena’s thumb brushing Kara’s nipple through her bra and every nerve in Kara’s body is humming already.

She wants to feel more of Lena, wants to feel all of her, and Kara’s hands find the clasp of Lena’s bra and flick it open. Lena laughs against her mouth, leans back and pulls her bra away before removing Kara’s.

And now their chests are pressed together and Kara’s feeling so _much_ , and she finds herself gasping into Lena’s mouth, “Please, Lena, please.”

Lena makes a pleased noise and shifts her mouth to Kara’s neck again, hand moving down until it’s under Kara’s underwear, touching her where she needs it most.

Kara’s breathing hitches. “Lena, please, I need—”

Lena slips two fingers inside, thrusting quick and deep, and Kara has never felt this good before, not ever; her body is a symphony and Lena’s bringing her to a crescendo.

When the waves of her orgasm crash over her, Kara holds tight to Lena, anchoring herself against the feel of her skin as her breathing evens out.

“Wow,” she finally says. “Wow, that was amazing.”

Lena smirks. “Amazing, huh?”

“Yes.” Kara grins, and suddenly flips them over, Lena letting out a small cry of surprise. “And now it’s time for me to return the favor.”

Lena makes to reply, but Kara brushes a hand over her through her underwear, and Rao, she can feel her soaked through them. Lena’s breath catches in a little gasp.

Kara pulls Lena’s underwear down her legs, then removes her own, pressing their bodies together, slipping a leg between Lena’s thighs.

“Oh, Kara,” Lena moans, grinding down.

Kara braces herself with one hand as she moves her other hand between Lena’s legs, putting her mouth to Lena’s nipple and sucking.

Lena’s cry is a ragged thing as Kara slips her fingers in, moving them gently at first, and then harder as Lena clutches at her shoulders in encouragement.

Kara removes her mouth from Lena’s breast as she feels her start to clench around her fingers, watching the pleasure play out on Lena’s face. She’s _exquisite_.

Breathing hard, Lena looks her in the eyes, cheeks flushed, pupils blown, and—

“I love you,” tumbles out of Kara’s mouth before she can stop it.

Lena’s eyes go wide, and she goes rigid beneath Kara. That’s not what Kara meant to say at all, it isn’t, and now Lena is just staring at her, shock clear on her face.

\----------------

“I love you.”

Lena freezes. Kara is looking at her, panicked. Lena feels like she can’t even blink.

“I—I mean, I didn’t mean, it’s just, just…”

Kara loves her. Kara _loves_ her. Lena wants to say it back. She wants to say _something_. Kara loves her. And Lena… Lena has loved Kara since almost the day they met. But she can’t seem to make her mouth move, she can’t force any words out of her throat. Lena doesn’t know _how_ to say I love you anymore. She forgot how to a long time ago. Luthors don’t tell people that they love them (Luthors don’t love—except Lex had loved her, hadn’t he?).

Kara scrambles off her. “Lena, I’m sorry, I—”

“Kara,” Lena finally manages to say.

Right at that moment, Kara’s phone goes off, the special “Supergirl emergency” ringtone. Kara stares at it.

“Take it,” Lena says, and Kara does. Lena watches Kara’s eyes go wide.

“I’ll be right there,” she says. “ETA five minutes.” She turns back to Lena. “I have to go.”

Lena nods. “Kara, I…” she starts. “I… be safe.”

“I will,” Kara promises with a kiss on the cheek. And then, in a gust of wind, she’s gone.

Once Kara's away and out of earshot, even for super-hearing, Lena finally says “I love you.”

“I love you,” Lena repeats, practicing, the words rolling on her tongue awkwardly. “I love you, Kara.” She’ll tell her when Kara gets back. She’ll be able to do it then.

Lena pulls on an old t-shirt and some yoga pants, digging around in Kara’s pajama drawer. She pads out to the living room and settles on the couch with the TV turned on to a low volume.

“Supergirl appears to be fighting a whole team of superhumans,” the newscaster says. “They’re flanking her from all sides, but so far she’s holding her own.”

The mention of Supergirl draws Lena's attention away, focusing her instead on the TV. There must be at least ten men there, the veins under their skin all faintly glowing green. J’onn, the green Martian Kara knows, is already unconscious against the side of a building. The men are fast—strong too, Lena realizes with her heart in her throat as she watches one of them throw Kara to the ground.

Kara gets up, and she’s punching again, one man flying through the air after she lands a hit, but there’s too many of them. Lena watches Kara stumble, her face pale. _Kryptonite_ , Lena realizes. _They’re enhanced with Kryptonite_.

Lena watches as Kara’s swings come slower and slower, and she falls to one knee after taking a particularly hard hit. Lena can see the moment when Kara realizes she can’t win this. She tries to fly away—and falls back down to the ground after wobbling up a few feet into the air.

“No,” Lena whispers. “No, Kara, please—”

A man grabs Kara from behind, gets her in a headlock. Lena can’t breathe. She watches, helpless and immobile, as Kara struggles with everything left in her as another man injects a glowing green substance into her neck. Kara screams and then slumps to the ground, unconscious.

“No!” bursts out of Lena’s lips, a wild, animal thing. “No, this can’t—Kara!”

Lena watches the men carry Kara off into a waiting black van that shoots away as soon as they’re inside. A helicopter is landing, agents spilling out, but it’s too late—they’re _too late_. Kara is gone.

Lena collapses to the floor. Kara is gone, and Lena doesn’t know if she’ll ever get her back. The last thing she thinks before the her mind blanks out is _I never even told her I loved her back_.

**Author's Note:**

> Updates are tentatively planned 2-3 times a week. I'm trying to get this done before school starts in mid-August and I never have time in my life again :)


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